Spartans bounce back, snap four-game losing skid

For a while, it certainly wasn't going the way USC Upstate wanted on the final home game of the men's basketball season.The Spartans trailed the bottom team of the Atlantic Sun Conference, Kennesaw State (3-22), by 17 points in the first half. But they flipped the switch at the break and powered their way to a 79-67 victory in the G.B. Hodge Center.USC Upstate (14-14, 8-7) woke up in time to break a four-game losing streak and give itself a chance for a top-three seed in the upcoming tournament with three road games remaining in the regular season. Kennesaw State, at 2-12 in league play, is all but assured now of becoming the only eligible team to miss the eight-team field.The Owls were flying high in the first half, up 39-22, but USC Upstate scored the last five points before intermission to make the deficit more manageable.“I think they played loose, with nothing to lose, and we played tight because we were so worried about losing again,” USC Upstate head coach Eddie Payne said. “We got paralyzed and a little bit hesitant.”USC Upstate outscored Kennesaw State, 27-8, to start the second half, a 14-2 run at the back end of that spurt to gain a seven-point lead. The Owls never really threatened after that, getting only as close as 69-61 with 4:30 remaining.“We were fragile,” Payne said. “To see us come out in the second half and play like that was very encouraging.”Florida Gulf Coast and Mercer are tied for the league lead at 11-3 and seemed poised to take the top two seeds of the tournament, which will be played March 6-9 in Macon, Ga. Those teams, if they can get past the seventh and eighth seeds, will get a day of rest as the other four teams play leading into the semifinals.USC Upstate is one game behind third-place Stetson (9-6) and a half-game behind Jacksonville (8-6). East Tennessee is next at 7-8.“This was a big win for us,” said Torrey Craig, who led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds. “Hopefully, we can start another run and get going. We're feeling much better right now.”'Ricardo Glenn had 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists. He and Craig went a combined 15-for-21 from the floor. Ty Greene added a dozen points and five assists. Adrian Rodgers scored 10 and Babatunde Olumuyiwa finished with eight points in 17 minutes.“Our defensive pressure in the first half was lackadaisical,” Glenn said. “When we came out in the second half, we had to amp it up a lot. We did that. We got a few early turnovers in the second half and that just added to the momentum.”Kennesaw State's Markeith Cummings, who scored 28 points and moved past Craig as the league's scoring leader, had 16 points in the first half on 6-for-9 shooting and also had five rebounds. In the second half, he was 3-for-9 with one rebound.“In the second half, we played with more defensive energy and it created some offensive opportunities,” Craig said. “We started to get in the flow after that.”USC Upstate finishes the regular season with road games Thursday at Jacksonville, two nights later at North Florida and then March 1 at East Tennessee State. The Spartans were picked second in preseason polls as the main challenger to Mercer.“We just need to keep our defense tough and play together,” Glenn said. “If we do those two things, we'll be fine.”USC Upstate honored its only senior, Rob Elam, who started for the fifth time this season and played 11 minutes. He is a native of East Point, Ga., but went to Batesburg-Leesville High School and spent one season at East Mississippi Community College.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.